Aerosmithhttp://www.premierguitar.com/rss
en-usRig Rundown: Brad Whitford and Derek St. Holmeschris@premierguitar.comhttp://www.premierguitar.com/articles/24291Wed, 15 Jun 2016 15:45:00 -0400http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/24291-rig-rundown-brad-whitford-and-derek-st-holmes
INTRO
Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent) and Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) carve out some time during pre-tour rehearsals at Nashville&rsquo;s SIR to talk reissued Les Paul gems, British tube-amp goodness, and the minimalist stomp stations that fuel their tried-and-true blues rock.&nbsp;
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Derek St. Holmes&mdash;best known for singing alongside Ted Nugent&mdash;is also a bona fide gearhead. He loves to strap on guitars, especially beautiful Les Pauls like this Gibson Collector&rsquo;s Choice #15 that&rsquo;s based on his friend, The Kentucky Headhunters guitarist Greg Martin&rsquo;s &rsquo;58 burst. &nbsp;
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Holmes, a sucker for &rsquo;58 copies, has another Collector&rsquo;s Les Paul&mdash;this one is #28 and pays tribute to the late, great Ronnie Montrose and his iconic &ldquo;STP&rdquo; burst. This one was given to him by his six-string brother Brad Whitford at the end of their most recent recording jam. He&rsquo;s dropped in David Allen Tru 59 PAF pickups&mdash;because he says they bring the guitars&rsquo; tone even closer to the vintage vibe he&rsquo;s chasing&mdash;and upgraded to a TonePros bridge and tuners.
3
Holmes continues to support his longtime friend, Joe Knaggs, who used to work at PRS but now builds under his own brand&mdash;Knaggs Guitars. This model is a Sheyenne and used nightly for the song &ldquo;Hot For You.&rdquo; He prefers this semi-hollow because the song was originally recorded with an ES-335.&nbsp;
4
It pays to know talented people as Holmes uses another guitar a friend built him&mdash;this one is an EKlein Guitars Custom Shop DSH model that is loaded with Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB humbuckers.
5
Holmes mixes his utilitarian board with boutique scores and big-box standards.&nbsp;
6
Brad Whitford is one of the main owners of 3 Monkeys amps so it&rsquo;s no surprise to see Holmes trying out one of this rock &rsquo;n&rsquo; rollers in his live rig. This particular head is the 18-watt Sock Monkey that runs on a pair of EL84s.
7
To get some beef and growl, Holmes plugs into a 50-watt Marshall 1987X reissue.
8
Brad Whitford is known for Les Pauls during his long tenure rocking with Aerosmith, but for this project his likes the contrast Strats bring to the group&rsquo;s sound. Here is a Fender American Vintage 1965 Stratocaster.&nbsp;
9
Playing backup is this sunburst Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster. Both Strats have been modded with noiseless, hum-canceling DiMarzio single-coils.&nbsp;
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Not to be left out of the Gibson Collector&rsquo;s posse, Whitford is working with Gibson to release his own replica based on his personal 1959 burst. This is the first prototype for his Collector&rsquo;s Choice #26. While the production model has custom-voiced PAF-style pickups, this LP has a set of Wizz Pickups Premium Clone PAFs.
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Continuing the parade of Gibson Collector&rsquo;s Choice pieces is this Les Paul&mdash;#34&mdash;based on a 1959 &ldquo;blackburst&rdquo; that Joe Bonamassa now owns.&nbsp;
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No frills when it comes to amps as you see Whitford travels with an original 1968 Marshall JMP Tremolo 50 (top) and a handwired, 30-watt JTM 2245THW reissue head.&nbsp;
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Whitford mixes old and new technology by implementing an original Klon Centaur from the mid-&rsquo;90s alongside the digital powerhouse that is the Eventide H9. (Whitford swears by the H9&rsquo;s delay and keeps it on his board for that very reason.)
Joe Perry: 43 Years of Wrenching Strings with Aerosmithhttp://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21577Tue, 28 Oct 2014 08:16:00 -0400http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21577-joe-perry-43-years-of-wrenching-strings-with-aerosmith
Gibson Releases Joe Perry 1959 Les Pauleditor@premierguitar.comhttp://www.premierguitar.com/articles/7578Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Gibson_Releases_Joe_Perry_1959_Les_Paul
Album Review: Aerosmith - "Music From Another Dimension"jason@premierguitar.comhttp://www.premierguitar.com/articles/10229Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:00:00 -0500http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Album_Review_Aerosmith_Music_From_Another_Dimension
Rig Rundown - Aerosmith's Joe Perry and Brad Whitfordjason@premierguitar.comhttp://www.premierguitar.com/articles/16824Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Rig_Rundown_Aerosmiths_Joe_Perry_and_Brad_Whitford
Gallery: Aerosmith Live Gear 2012rebecca@premierguitar.comhttp://www.premierguitar.com/articles/9452Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Gallery_Aerosmith_Live_Gear_2012
Brad Whitford's Echopark DowntownerBrad Whitford's Echopark Downtowner Used on Aerosmith's new album, this Downtowner is made with old wood recycled from furniture and other products and has a very beefy neck. The pickups are PAF-style Amalfitanos.Brad Whitford's Fender TelecasterBrad Whitford's Fender Telecaster Whitford's Tele is completely stock, he says, "This thing just rocks."Tom Hamilton's Duesenberg Starplayer BassTom Hamilton's Duesenberg Starplayer Bass This semi-hollow bass is strung with flatwounds for a "plunky" Hofner-style sound in a highly playable package. He uses it on some of the older, bluesy songs.Joe Perry's Fender Telecaster with B-BenderJoe Perry's Fender Telecaster with B-Bender This Tele is equipped with a B-Bender and a Bartolini Rail pickup in the bridge.Joe Perry's Dan ArmstrongJoe Perry's Dan Armstrong Perry is also known to play a Lucite Dan Armstrong guitar. The one he takes on the road isn't one of his originals (those stay at home). This particular one has a custom-made pickup and is tuned to open A, "Keith Richards-style", utilizing just the five top strings, but Perry adds a bass string at the low A. He uses it for "Draw the Line".Brad Whitford's Fender Custom Shop '62 Reissue StratBrad Whitford's Fender Custom Shop '62 Reissue Strat This Strat is stocked with DiMarzio Area 61 noiseless pickups and is used interchangeably with Whitford's Eric Johnson Strat.Brad Whitford's Epiphone Inspired By Lennon CasinoBrad Whitford's Epiphone Inspired By Lennon Casino Whitford used this Lennon tribute Epiphone Casino extensively in the studio for both Aerosmith's and Joe Bonamassa's albums. Live, he uses it for "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing", because it cuts through the mix. The guitar is completely stock and he travels with a spare sunburst Casino as well. Joe Perry's Marshall PlexiJoe Perry's Marshall Plexi The other of Perry's Plexis sits atop the active cabinets for both heads. The top cabinet has four 12" Vintage 30s, while the bottom cab has four 25-watt speakers for a grittier sound.Joe Perry's Marshall JTM45 ReissuesJoe Perry's Marshall JTM45 Reissues Perry has a trio of Marshall JTM45 reissues, two are backup. He uses the amp for a siren sound he achieves with a special pedal, but they're also set up to run the whole rig if something goes wrong. The Jet City JCA20 was used extensively on Aerosmith's new record, but on the road it's used exclusively for his talk box. Perry says that it's the best sounding talk box amp he's encountered.Brad Whitford's AmpsBrad Whitford's Amps The second PRS amp is an HXDA, which is designed for a Duane Allman tone and is run through the second 4x12 onstage. Also part of the tonal equation is the Fender Twin Reverb Custom 15. It's been customized to run a single 15" Warehouse speaker which is housed in a custom cabinet. He prefers the Fender for its clean sound with clear low end. Tom Hamilton's G&L Blue Sparkle ASAT BassTom Hamilton's G&L Blue Sparkle ASAT Bass Tom's ASAT basses are basically stock with the active electronics package, but the pickup select, series/parallel, EQ off/on, and treble boost switches are set and removed from the body to avoid hitting them. The basses are set with both pickups set parallel, EQ active, and no boost.Joe Perry's Ernie Ball/Music Man 6-String BassJoe Perry's Ernie Ball/Music Man 6-String Bass Perry uses this short-scale, 6-string bass with a Floyd Rose tremolo for "Back in the Saddle". He plays lead on the guitar, and it's tuned a step down and strung with .045 -.105 strings.Joe Perry's AmpsJoe Perry's Amps Guitar tech Trace Foster wasn't exaggerating when he told us that Perry has "20 feet of amps." All of them are on, but not all are used for live sound. Mic'd cabinets feed the live sound, while un-mic'd cabs are used for stage sound. Brad Whitford's AmpsBrad Whitford's Amps Whitford, founder of 3 Monkeys Amplification, travels with an impressive stack of his own amps. However, the core of his tone is the PRS amp in the center. It is one of two of Paul Reed Smith's personal favorite amps that was loaned to Whitford for this tour. Whitford says it has a "dream Marshall" type of sound and calls it his "holy grail amp". The PRS is ran through one of the 412s, while the other 412 is powered by a second PRS amp behind the stack. Brad Whitford's Fender Eric Johnson Signature StratBrad Whitford's Fender Eric Johnson Signature Strat Whitford uses the first version of Fender's EJ Strat, with DiMarzio Area 61 noiseless pickups. He says that it is, "one of the best Strats that they've done in a long time."Tom Hamilton's F Bass BN Fretted SeriesTom Hamilton's F Bass BN Fretted Series Built in Hamilton, Ontario, Mullen cites this as, "an amazingly well-rounded bass." It has two F Bass stacked single-coil/hum-cancelling pickups with separate volume controls and passive or active modes. The bass is Tom's go-to for anything that needs a wide frequency range due to its unique electronics.Brad Whitford's Gibson Custom Shop Tom Murphy Reissue Les PaulsBrad Whitford's Gibson Custom Shop Tom Murphy Reissue Les Pauls This trio of vintage reissue Les Pauls were made by the Gibson Custom Shop's Tom Murphy. Whitford calls Murphy's work "hard to beat." The goldtop has WCR Godwood and Fillmore pickups in it.Joe Perry's Fender Custom Shop StratJoe Perry's Fender Custom Shop Strat This Strat has a few modifications: a shaved-down neck heel and noiseless pickups. Foster says it cuts through well.Tom Hamilton's PedalsTom Hamilton's Pedals In Tom's rack is the previously mentioned Mojo Hand Rook, as well as a Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion for "the really over-the-top stuff," and TC Electronic Stereo Chorus+ Pitch Modulator & Flanger for chorus.Joe Perry's Marshall PlexiJoe Perry's Marshall Plexi Perry uses two Marshall Plexis for his main sound, a '69 with KT66 tubes and a '70 with EL84s. He switches between the two for main sound and backup from night to night. The amps are set just at the point of breaking up so all of the dirt can be achieved through the guitars and pedals.Joe Perry's Gibson "Billie" GuitarJoe Perry's Gibson "Billie" Guitar One of Joe Perry's most recognizable instruments is this modified Lucille model with a picture of his wife, Billie, airbrushed on the front and back by John Douglas. Perry had the guitar custom built by Gibson without F-holes and only one volume and tone knob. Tech Trace Foster told us that the guitar, "Looks really cool but sounds good as well."Joe Perry's Fender Custom Shop Jeff Beck Esquire ReplicaJoe Perry's Fender Custom Shop Jeff Beck Esquire Replica Perry uses one of Fender's painstaking recreations, replicated down to each scratch and dent, from Beck's original Esquire. He plays it on songs like "Chip Away the Stone" and "Last Child". Used primarily for rhythm, the guitar is strung with .010s. Joe Perry's Rack PedalsJoe Perry's Rack Pedals In the rack drawer is a TC Electronic Vortex flanger set mildly for a bit of texture, a TC Electronic Flashback delay set for long delays, an MXR Carbon Copy delay, a TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb, a Duesenberg Gold Boost set to about 15dB, an Option 5 Destination Bump Boost set to about 20 dB, and a Klon Centaur. Perry prefers boost effects to overdrive or distortion, but his Centaur is a core part of his tone that he's relied on for about 10 years. Tech Trace Foster says Perry uses the pedals differently every night, depending upon how they feel. He explains, "He likes to be inspired. I have about 200 pedals out with me."Joe Perry's Budda VerbmasterJoe Perry's Budda Verbmaster This custom-built, EL84-based combo has a single 15" speaker and the sound goes through Perry's wedges. The Friedman head is a spare.Joe Perry's Fender Custom Shop TelecasterJoe Perry's Fender Custom Shop Telecaster This Tele came from the Custom Shop with an oddball vintage Gretsch pickup in the neck. It's tuned to all Es and Bs for the intro to "No More, No More." He switches to a standard-tuned guitar for the solo.Brad Whitford's Fender Custom Shop StratocasterBrad Whitford's Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster Though not a true Mary Kay reissue, this Strat is one of a few that were made in the color by the Fender Custom Shop prior to the reissue. It also has DiMarzio Area 61 pickups.Tom Hamilton's G&L Gold Sparkle ASAT BassTom Hamilton's G&L Gold Sparkle ASAT Bass Tom's ASAT basses are basically stock with the active electronics package, but the pickup select, series/parallel, EQ off/on, and treble boost switches are set and removed from the body to avoid hitting them. The basses are set with both pickups set parallel, EQ active, and no boost.Joe Perry's Gibson Joe Perry Signature Les Paul PrototypeJoe Perry's Gibson Joe Perry Signature Les Paul Prototype The third guitar built for Perry by Gibson, this model features a Les Paul Axcess-style body with a deep neck heel carve and thinner profile for weight relief, and only a volume control for the single pickup. Foster said it is still unknown whether it would become a production model.Tom Hamilton's G&L ASAT BassTom Hamilton's G&L ASAT Bass Tom's ASAT basses are basically stock with the active electronics package, but the pickup select, series/parallel, EQ off/on, and treble boost switches are set and removed from the body to avoid hitting them. The basses are set with both pickups set parallel, EQ active, and no boost.Joe Perry's Echopark Ghetto BirdJoe Perry's Echopark Ghetto Bird Perry digs this new guitar for its looks as well as a fat neck profile, which he prefers. It has a P-90 and humbucker combo with just volume and tone controls. Joe Perry's PedalboardJoe Perry's Pedalboard Perry uses a handful of pedals at the front of his stage, but most are in his rack controlled by the '90s Bradshaw switcher to the left of his board. The "Talk" button on his switcher disables all of the amps, leaving only the talk box functioning. At the top right is Perry's Siren pedal, built by Rob Lowry of Boston, Massachusetts. It functions as a police siren and is used with the Boss DD-7 set to long delays. He uses a Dunlop Jimmy Hendrix Cry Baby and an original DigiTech Whammy I. The Electro-Harmonix POG is modified by Rob to work with the Ernie Ball VP JR, which functions as a low-pass filter to roll the POG in and out.Brad Whitford's Fender XIIBrad Whitford's Fender XII This 1967 12-string belongs to Whitford's tech, Marco, and has yet to see action onstage, but Whitford has plans to incorporate it into the set for "Crying," which he originally recorded on a 12-string.Tom Hamilton's Sadowsky Sunburst 5-StringTom Hamilton's Sadowsky Sunburst 5-String Tom uses both this 5-string, and a Tele-style Sadowsky that have been part of his stable for years. Tech Aidan Mullen says, "Roger Sadowsky makes some of the best instruments available. The blond Tele has been his 'crutch' for a long time."Tom Hamilton's Gallein-Krueger StacksTom Hamilton's Gallein-Krueger Stacks Hamilton uses Gallien Krueger Fusion 550 heads, after spending three weeks in the studio in 2010 testing different amps. He uses GK cabs loaded with CK Neodinium drivers for a light weight and punch sound. One head is hooked up to two 410 cabs, another head powers a bass 412, and another is set up with a 412 loaded with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers running a Mojo Hand Rook ovedrive that's always on for a grindy, "bass nasty" sound, like a overdriven Marshall but with low end meat. Joe Perry's Friedman Dirty ShirleyJoe Perry's Friedman Dirty Shirley The Friedman head has 5881 tubes (Perry likes to have a little of every flavor at his disposal) and powers a cabinet with a 15" speaker.Joe Perry's BC Rich Bich 10Joe Perry's BC Rich Bich 10 Another iconic guitar for Perry, this particular version of the 10-string Bich is covered in Swarovski crystals. The guitar is tuned to Drop D, and the D, G, B, and E strings are in unison, but with different gauges for a slightly varied sound. The extra switches and electronics are bypassed, so Perry uses just the tone and volume controls. Joe Perry's RackJoe Perry's Rack Perry's rack has four Shure ULDX wireless units that are running all the time to facilitate guitar changes. Foster calls the units the closest thing to a cable he's ever heard. The signal from the amps splits to the RJM Effects Gizmo on one side and the Digidesign Eleven Rack on the other, which is set to a Vox tone and just used for monitoring the sound pre-effects. Foster has a Bradshaw switching system above the rack as well, and watches Perry to see when he needs to control his effects throughout the night.Joe Perry's Echopark Guitars Blue RoseJoe Perry's Echopark Guitars Blue Rose This semi-hollow T-style from Echopark Guitars features a reverse trem and was used extensively on Aerosmith's new album. The guitar was partially filled to combat feedback for live playing.Brad Whitford's PedalboardBrad Whitford's Pedalboard Whitford's pedalboard is set up with a trio of Voodoo Lab pedal switchers with four loops each, which feed the Pedal Commander with preset pedal combinations. On the board is a Boss TU-2 Tuner, Framptone amp selector (though all three amps are always on), Mojo Hand Rook (which recently replaced Whitford's Klon Centaur on his board), Pigtronix Philosopher's Rock (used as a sustainer), Pigtronix Fat Boost, Xotic EP Booster, BK Butler Tube Driver (new issue), Eventide TimeFactor, Fulltone wah, Pigtronix Disnortion (one of Whitford's go-to effects he calls "Hendrix in a box"), TC Electronic VPD1 Vintage Pre-Drive, two TC Electronic Flashback delays (set similarly while he experiments with different sounds), TC Electronic Vortex flanger, TC Electronic Corona Chorus, TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb, and Fulltone Supa-Trem. The Fender combos on each side are used as monitors.Joe Perry's Marshall Bluesbreaker and MajorsJoe Perry's Marshall Bluesbreaker and Majors Beneath the U.S. flag is a 1965 Marshall Bluesbreaker with 5881 tubes and four 10" speakers. Foster says it cuts well so they use it if he's not cutting through on a given night. The Marshall Majors beneath it are two 1970 200-watt heads with KT88 tubes. He uses the top one and keeps the bottom as a spare. They find the amp to be a little dark, so it's used in conjunction with an MXR 10-Band EQ to boost the 125 and 1K frequencies. Tom Hamilton's Eastwood Airline Map BassTom Hamilton's Eastwood Airline Map Bass distinctive Airline Map bass is Tom's dressing room warmup instrument.